268
muscovite (peaks at 8.91°, 17.85°, 19.79°, 26.92°, 29.87°, 31.85°, 34.51°, 38.19°,
42.15°, 45.59°, 45.94°, 52.54°, 55.53°), and chlorites (peaks at 6.26°, 12.54°,
18.85°, 25.21°, 25.53°, 27.82°, 31.28°, 37.41°, 37.65°, 39.50°, 45.59°, 45.94°). The
bulge in the background in the region 20–27 2θ is due to the presence of the amorphous SiO 2 (short range order of silicate Si-O-Si) in clayey diatomite.
9.3.3 FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) Analysis
of Clayey Diatomite
The IR spectrum of the clayey diatomite (Fig. 9.3) exhibits an absorption band at
796 cm
−1
attributed to the bending vibrations of Si-O-Si framework, while the band
at 1035 cm
−1
is a result of the stretching vibrations of Si-O-Al units (Garai et al.
Table
9.1 Physicalmechanical properties of
clayey diatomite
Property
Amount
Density (g/cm
3
)
2.45
Bulk density (g/cm
3
) 0.68–0.79
Water absorption (%) 70–78
Open porosity (%)
53–62
Closed porosity (%)
65–72
Fig. 9.2 X-ray examinations of clayey diatomite (Q quartz, M muscovite, C chlorite, P
plagioclase)
Table 9.2 Chemical composition of clayey diatomite
Oxide
SiO 2
Al 2 O 3 Fe 2 O 3
CaO MgO K 2 O Na 2 O SO 3
LOI
Total
Content, % 64.95 11.85 4.51
1.49 1.88
1.40 0.84
1.74 11.20 99.86
H. Memedi et al.